Smithfield Foods to expand dry sausage facility in US

Smithfield Foods has broken ground on the expansion of its dry sausage facility in Cudahy in the US state of Wisconsin.

The company will expand the existing facility by 12,500ft2 with the addition four new smokehouses and two dry rooms.

Upon completion of the expansion in March 2016, the facility will produce an additional three million pounds of products under Patrick Cudahy brand and other Smithfield branded products.

The company may also add four more dry rooms at the facility in the future, to meet the expected increase in demand for its products.

Smithfield will continue making salami and pepperoni products at the facility.

Recently, the company broke ground on a $12m bacon slicing plant at the complex. Feature four production lines, the slicing plant is planned to be operational later this year, and is expected to increase Smithfield's bacon capacity by approximately 10 million pounds annually.

In May, Smithfield partnered with Kansas City Sausage to build a $44.8m sausage plant in Sampson County in the US state of North Carolina.